A Real Christmas Day
by buddieswithbilis
Summary: Just Jack and Ianto ... and a Christmas that neither of them are ever likely to forget.


A/N :

1 : Jack and Ianto belong to Russell 'The' Davies.

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2 : IT'S CHRISSSSTMAAAASSSS !

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A Real Christmas Day

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With the snow beneath them freezing into a dirty impression of their tread, the brown hiking boots crunched with one confident stride after another to ensure that their owner reached his destination safely and on time.

He could have driven, of course; with a carefree scattering of salt, Cardiff City Council had done a wonderful job of rendering the once beautifully virgin white layer down to nothing but a muddy slush.

But if he'd driven he'd have missed out on hearing the Salvation Army band's rendition of Good King Wenceslas, which in his eyes would have been a damn shame. And on top of that he'd not have experienced the thrill of dodging out of the way of that young kid on his homemade sledge. Plus how much fun had it just been, to wish all of those folks, already drunk on their lunchtime festive cheer, a very Merry Christmas?

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Merry Christmas.

Jack couldn't remember the last time he'd said those two poignant words with so much enthusiasm. Today, it seemed, nothing could upset him. Today ….. he felt good about the world.

And who did he have to thank for that?

Someone very special.

With Christmas long forgotten in that part of the universe where he came from, he'd enjoyed, for the most part anyway, his experiences of the festive season on this planet. Here, just the very idea of Christmas seemed to bring about a sense of happiness no matter what; a different kind of closeness in people. One that he couldn't ever recall bearing witness to in his own time.

As a few more flakes of snow started to drift down from above, and a church in the distance began to ring out with a descending peal of bells, he paused with a smile to listen.

The lunchtime service should have finished an hour ago easily. Perhaps the Reverend had hit the sherry early, he mused with a bubble of mirth building inside. Or maybe this was a different kind of service. Maybe the less romantic side of a young couple had seen them choose to get married on a day that neither one of them were ever likely to forget the anniversary of.

Picking up the pace again he found that the further away he drew from the shops and bars, the louder the noise beneath his feet became. Each crunch was a pleasing sign that he was one more step further from the weight; the crushing Christmas day responsibility that now fell solely on his shoulders.

It was an onus that he'd opted to bear himself and consequently this situation had existed for the past few years. But he truly didn't mind, the sacrifice hadn't been too great; his time each year had been spent satisfyingly proving that the existence of other worldly beings should not be a reason for the occupants of the city to forego the festive period.

Equally, the same instance applied to his team. He realised more than anyone that each of them deserved a rest, even if it was just for one day, and it always gave him a great sense of satisfaction to see the relief on each of their faces when he packed them off home on Christmas Eve.

Of course, this year he'd had three less personnel to send on their way with his warmest wishes …. And that had hurt beyond belief.

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Lifting his head in defiance of the heavier flakes, he peered through the greyness of the afternoon and then further ahead to the brickwork beyond.

Suburbia beckoned.

And behind the only red door on the fifth level of the apartment block that he could just make out above the rooftops, he knew that there was a warm welcome awaiting him.

Normarily, accepting an invitation to celebrate this particular day with another person would have proven a hard decision to make. And then, ultimately, it would always have been declined.

He didn't exactly have what you could call a good track record. For the last couple of decades, at least, it seemed that whoever's doorstep he'd ended up on, he'd always felt like an imposter; an intruder in the lives of those very same people that had thought to show him such generosity. It should have been their time of year, filled with peace and hope; the last thing they'd really needed as they'd opened their presents, was him and that big ball of alien grief that always seemed to be following close behind.

Plus, of late, some very strange things had started to happen to the planet on Christmas day, and although not appearing to be influenced by the Cardiff rift itself, with each occurrence these events had promoted a manic reaction down in the sewers.

The following frenzy of Weevil sightings had seen him on a lone vigil, darting like a mad man from one manhole cover to the next as he'd tried to keep the creatures at bay.

But not this year. This Christmas, he'd already decided, things were going to be different. This Christmas it wasn't just the turkey that could get stuffed.

He was done with solitude and he was done with sewers. He was putting his faith in the universe and trusting her not to send anything unearthly his way today.

Yep, in a move that had shocked even himself, Jack Harkness had decided to break with own self-enforced Christmas tradition, and today he was going to have some company for a change.

Taking the next road to his right, a biting wind that he'd 'til now been sheltered from caused a flurry of flakes to seek refuge down his neck. With a loud shiver he pulled the collar of his greatcoat around himself and held it tightly in place with the fingers of one hand.

Thankfully he didn't have much further to go now, so screwing his face up against the elements he kept his head down and his movement swift.

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He'd been stood on that goddamned doormat for a good two minutes at least, he realised, shuffling his feet as he looked down at it; inexplicably nervous all of a sudden.

Send him out alone into a city full of throat tearing Weevils? …. No sweat. Send him along to experience the joys of sharing Christmas dinner with Ianto Jones?

He'd have felt marginally less scared if you'd hinted that there was a Dalek sat in the hallway right behind him.

Instantly spooking himself, he checked just to make sure that there wasn't and then knocked.

The familiar red door swung inward and he was greeted by a rather tuneful Dean Martin begging for snow, snow and yet more snow.

He stepped inside. "Hi, I'm not too early, am I?"

"No …." Ianto accepted the coat as it was handed to him then stepping out onto the landing shook off the addition of unwanted snow. "As it's Christmas I think I can overlook your eagerness of turning up forty five seconds ahead of schedule."

He smiled teasingly before turning to hang his most favourite item of clothing onto one of the hooks beside him.

"Hey, somethin' smells real good ….." Dropping to one knee and untying the lace of his left boot, Jack looked up briefly to aim a familiar smile at his host. "Ianto, I hope you haven't gone to too much trouble."

As the Welshman gave a small, satisfied smile, his hub-butler tones came into play. "Well, let me see. For your delectation today, Sir, we have a traditional Christmas dinner which, as you can smell, is cooking away nicely in the oven. There's a selection of desserts; one of which, of course, is a brandy soaked pudding. I also have a fridge filled to the rim with bottles of ice-cold water; just in case you decide to push the boat out and finally, just to round it all off, I have employed the recorded services of a few rat-pack members to serenade you for the duration. Oh, and not forgetting, of course, the obligatory selection of Glenn Miller tracks … though they're on cd I'm afraid, so if you want the authentic vinyl crackle you'll have to imagine it while you listen."

Placing both boots as perpendicular to the door cill as he could, Jack straightened with a whistle. "Wow, Ianto Jones, you really know how to treat a guy, don'tcha!"

"Yes, well …" His host began to guide him over to the safety of the couch as he spoke. "I find it always pays to impress the boss."

Giving Jack no time to respond Ianto paused to take the tiniest of breaths inward before offering. "Drink? Ice and a slice? I would ask if you take water with it, but that would just be plain ridiculous."

"I'll have some wine with my meal, thanks." Came the reply. "And in the meantime … let's push the boat out."

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"Pardon you."

With Jack slouched, stretching his legs out beneath the table and dragging his arms back with a contented sigh, Ianto had long since forgiven him the loud burp.

"Hey, it's supposed to be a sign that you've enjoyed your food."

Taking the information on board, Ianto made sure to keep his expression unreadable. "True. But with the wide variety of noises that you make anyway, it's always hard to tell one way or the other. Now, do you want dessert yet? Or do you need to let the rest of your meal go down to make room for it?"

"Maybe give it half an hour or so? That was delicious by the way; I didn't realise you could cook like that."

The small, yet telling, smile made an appearance. "There's probably a lot of things you don't know about me, Jack."

"Really? Well, yeah, I guess there must be. But there's also a lot that I do know."

"Such as?" Standing, and sounding suddenly cautious, Ianto raised one brow as he lifted Jack's plate from the table.

"Well, for instance ..." He was told with a wink. "I know that you're anally retentive."

"Er, excuse me? Having an eidetic memory and being borderline OCD, does not make me anal. I prefer to think of myself as being highly gifted, if you must know."

"Whatever. But I bet you right now you're on the verge of putting everything into the dishwasher alphabetically, aren't you. …. You know the kinda thing…. c is for cutlery, d is for dinner plate, g for glass, s for side-dish …"

Frowning, the Welshman retrieved his own plate and, just as predicted, began to make his way over to the dishwasher. "You know, for one stupid moment I thought it was Christmas day. Turns out it's let's humiliate Ianto day instead. You will let me know when you've finished insulting me and my little ways, won't you, Jack."

Finding the situation to be highly amusing, Jack was already grinning to himself. "Hey, don't take it all so personal, yeah? I happen to think it's kinda cute the way you love to file your life. I just love a man that's organised. Why d'you think I hired you in the first place?"

"Tight jeans and orgasmic coffee."

"Damn that eidetic memory of yours!"

"Speaking of coffee, do you want one yet? I could set everything going while you check out what films are being repeated yet again this year. Oh, and by the way ….." He paused to nod over to the floor by the couch. "I think you'll find all the information you need filed neatly in my archive of a magazine rack down there."

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"Anything worth watching? Here you go." Leaning down, Ianto handed Jack a mug. He was already quite happily stretched out on his spot on the couch and with his feet up on a pouffe.

He accepted the drink gratefully. "Thanks." Then instinctively sniffed it. "Wow, it smells very ….. festive."

"My special seasonal sprinkle …." Ianto took a sip of his own before adding quickly. "And it's a secret, before you bother asking."

Taking a deliberately noisy first slurp, Jack gave a loud … "Ahhhhhh."

Ianto sent his eyes skyward. "Come on then, what's on the box? Did you find the Radio Times filed carefully between The Observer and The Telegraph?"

Leaning forward slightly Jack stared down at the rack. All he could see was last week's local rag and a very outdated looking copy of Private Eye.

Turning back with a frown to find Ianto already grinning at him, he was forced to admit. "Okay, so maybe you're not quite as bad as I thought. But my views on your neatness still stand. Oh, and I checked by the way; there's diddly-squat showing on that tv of yours."

With a sigh Ianto checked his watch. "What about the Queen's speech?"

"Nah … already heard it."

On seeing Ianto's exasperated eye movement come into play for a second time, Jack spread his features wide in a show of intense disappointment. "What? You don't believe that she phoned me last week to see if it needed a little tweaking?"

He'd almost carried it off but at the last moment one corner of his mouth had started to twitch in a betraying fashion.

Ianto scowled heavily as he punched him on one arm. "I take it that's payback for the Observer and Telegraph comment."

After holding his cup out in front to ensure that none of the brew inside could spill out, rocking from side to side, Jack smiled teasingly before taking another noisy slurp.

"Okay …. So there's nothing on the box." Ianto fell back with a sigh. "But we don't have to watch telly, do we … I've got this great dvd of a crackling log fire. I could put that on instead, if you want. We could just sit here and relax for a bit."

"Are you serious? You mean somebody has actually gone to the trouble of filming a fire burning?"

"Yeah. You can get aquariums as well, with little fish swimming around in them, but I personally prefer the snap and crackle of a fire. I find it helps me to think. If I've got something that's bothering me I just sit here in the dark, get a fire going and in no time at all …. bingo, there you are, problem solved."

Jack's expression was suddenly suggestive of the fact that he'd just acquired an unresolved issue of his own. "Ianto, you can always come to me if you've got a problem … you do know that, right?" Pitching his head to one side, he glanced thoughtfully at his host and gave one arm a reaffirming squeeze.

"Yeah … course." He was told with a smile. "But I get more satisfaction out of solving things myself. Though, it should also go without saying that if things ever get too bad I'll be knocking on your door. Now, do you want to give the fire a go or not?"

Jack's smile was already firmly back in place. "Yeah, sure ….. why not ….."

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"Is it alien in origin? I swear that flame on the right is trying to hypnotise me. You didn't find this dvd down in the archives, did you, Ianto?"

Ianto waved one hand in circles in front of Jack's face. "Ah, yeah, sorry; probably should've mentioned, it's best if you don't look at the screen for too long." With one hand on his shoulder he forced his boss to rest against the back of the couch. "Look, just close your eyes and drift off; I find it really helps."

"We can have the brandy doused pudding when it's died down, yeah?"

"As soon as that last flame has died, Jack, I'll be setting fire to the dessert instead, okay?"

"Okay."

Ianto waited for Jack's eyes to close before smiling to himself and sneakily deciding to leave it for a little while longer before revealing that the image on the screen actually burned continuously for two hours on a repetitive link.

That little plan, however, was doomed to a moment of ruination just five minutes in.

"I can't smell it."

"Well of course you can't smell it; it's a bloody dvd you fool."

Jack's eyes opened briefly. "Oh, 'course, that doesn't happen for a few years, yet, does it."

Ianto curled his lips to smile sidelong at him. "Sorry, not buying it. Watch and sniff? This is another one of your teases isn't it."

Revealing nothing, Jack simply smiled and slouched down a little further. "Shame, I like that old fashioned smell of a real fire; it takes me back."

"Tell you what, Jack, you wait here; I'll just demolish the kitchen table then set a match to the bloody thing, how does that sound?"

"Sorry … am I being irritating?" Jack accepted the glare he was being given as a confirmative. "Okay, Ianto; I'm sorry. And I'm shutting up just for you, right?"

"Thank you."

"No problem."

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Another five minutes passed.

"Ianto?"

"Hmmmm?"

"I know you said you're just keeping it warm, but are you sure the pudding's not going to ruin in the oven?"

"Jack?"

"Hmmmm?"

"Sssshhhhh…"

He grinned as he felt Jack start to chuckle silently next to him. "Okay, okay. I give up. I'm sensing that the crackle is not quite enough to hold your attention, so how about we have some Glenn Miller playing softly in the background as well? Would that help to take your mind off of food for a while?"

Standing, he looked down to see one bright blue iris appear, and then a second.

"Ianto Jones, you are very quickly becoming my all-time favourite host."

From the safety of the other side of the room, Ianto reached over to his impeccably organised collection of cds. "Hmmmm, I'm quickly becoming something."

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With the last note of Moonlight Serenade slowly fading, Ianto aimed the remote and brought the cd to a premature end. "Okay, ready for dessert now?"

He chanced a glance to his right and found Jack reclining with his eyes still closed and a smile on his face.

"That all depends, Ianto. Are you in a rush to get rid of me?"

If Jack had bothered looking at that point he would have witnessed the horrified look blatantly stating that Ianto Jones had never heard anything so ridiculous in all his life. "Of course I'm not. I'm merely being a congenial host, that's all."

As he started to laugh at the response, Jack draped an arm across the back of the couch in invitation. "Glad to hear it, 'cause I'm all nice and relaxed now. So how about we give it just a little longer?"

Drowning in the sight of his boss, indeed, looking so unusually relaxed, Ianto accepted the offer and settling back as the arm drew in around him, he lifted his feet and snuggled top to toe alongside him.

As Jack gave a long and contented sigh Ianto sleepily allowed his head to rest against his shoulder. "What's it like where you come from, Jack? Christmas, I mean. Did you celebrate Christmas when you were younger?"

His head rose and fell as Jack laughed quietly to himself.

"Christmas was lost long before I was born, Ianto. After all, it won't be that long before everyone on this entire planet becomes aware that their existence isn't relative to that one greater force they each believe in. There's gonna be a long period of adjustment, mind, and far too many souls will be lost to despair. But the human race does get there ….. eventually."

"So, there are no gods, no religion, at all in the fifty first century?"

"Not in the traditional sense that you have right now, no. Within the colony I grew up in? It was customary to pay homage to what you knew; the things that you could see. For instance, twice a year a festival was held to thank the suns for their gift of heat and light. But nobody worshipped a deity; there were no days set aside to celebrate the life or the day of birth, say, of just one being."

"So, soon the whole world will be accepting of aliens from outer space, will it?"

Jack was suddenly animated. "But don't you see, Ianto, that's the whole beauty of it; every creature in the galaxy, regardless of which piece of rock it resides on, has its origins in outer space, humans included. The Earth, after all, is spinning in space. So we're all aliens if you look at it like that."

"So, I'm an alien, am I?"

"Of course. But whereas, say, to me, you're an alien that's easy on the eye; one that looks good in a suit, to a species like the Exultance, for instance, with them having developed into being not much more than an awareness, you'd probably be viewed as nothing more than a hideously ugly lump of multi-limbed flesh."

There was a soft groan. "Ugh. Well that's made me feel really good about myself, thanks. I'm really glad I started this conversation now."

"Hey, Earth boy, you know what my motto is, don't you ... if you don't wanna know….. don't ask."

One brow was raised sceptically. "And how long have you had that motto for?"

"About thirty seconds."

Ianto could do nothing but smile. "Okay, I'll bear it in mind for next time. Anyway, at the risk of opening myself up to yet further insults …..getting back to my question …. if you'd never experienced anything like it yourself, before, and with you also being aware of a different truth pointing to the contrary, us mere unenlightened creatures here on Earth celebrating the birthday of the son of one of our gods must have seemed quite a primitive act.

"On the contrary." Jack hugged him closer in a show of sincerity. "You know me, Ianto; always non-judgemental, accepting of all things ….. And, of course, you do know what my other motto is, don't you …."

"I'm actually, at this very moment, trying my very best not to recall it." Tilting his head to look up at Jack, Ianto finished off his taunt with a wink.

Jack's response was to growl then send him a grin. "Well, let me put you out of your misery, Mr Jones, my other motto is 'never knock a tradition that involves the promise of a good knees up'."

"Okay, either somebody's spiked my glass of brandy infused custard, or you just included both yourself, and the phrase 'knees up' in the same sentence."

"Hey, Ianto, you think that's unbelievable? You should have seen the trouble I had teaching Mother Brown how to enjoy herself in the first place. Jeez, that woman was hard work at a party."

"Well …. now that's just ….. weird."

"Hey, to you it's weird, to me, it's called integrating; 'slipping under the radar'."

Put in his place, Ianto nodded considerately. "Yeah, okay, I can appreciate your logic in that sense; just don't go assuming that there's going to be any knees going up on my watch."

"Speaking of watches …."

"It's in the bedroom."

Jack's grin, already broad, was still growing. "Your night ahead all neatly arranged in readiness, is it, Mr Jones? And, that's not a complaint by the way …. more of an observation."

"I like to be ready." The scowl appeared despite Ianto's efforts to contain it. "Nothing wrong with that, is there?"

"Not at all, Ianto. The twenty first century's when everything changes and you gotta…."

Ianto jumped in as quickly as he could. "Jack?" A look of dread on his face, he shook his head. "Not tonight, eh?"

With a quiet ' well that told me' expression on his face, Jack took the scold remarkably well. "Sorry. Anyway, getting back to your original question ….."

"Was there one? It was so long ago now I've forgotten what it was."

With Ianto chuckling at him Jack gave a frown. "It was about me? And what I think about Christmas?" He nudged into Ianto playfully as he gave a fake _'oh …..' _expression. "Anyway, what I was about to say is, I absolutely love how this period in Earth's history celebrates Christmas the way it does. I mean, let's not kid ourselves that Christmas in 2008 bears any relevance to the meaning of the original event, but it's still a time when people think to remember others, it's still a few weeks in our lives when, as complete strangers, we all feel comfortable enough to share a smile and a greeting. And for just a few weeks, barring Scrooge, of course, we all remember what it means to be good Christians."

Pursing his lips Ianto mused over the observation. "You say that like you're one of us."

As Jack sent him a look that wasn't altogether appreciative he tried to explain himself better. "You may be of human decent, Jack, but not only were you were born on a different planet, you also come from a completely different time zone … and all I'm trying to point out, is that the pride and passion I can hear in your voice is coming across as strictly for the now; like you're proud to be a part of our culture."

With Jack remaining quiet, Ianto angled himself to see his face a little more clearly. "That horrible morning, when we knew what fate was awaiting Tommy? When I asked you the question back then, you said that you'd forego the chance to get back to your own time. But do you really consider this, the here and now …. Earth 2008 …. as your home? Don't you ever get tired of trying to fit in?"

Jack took the question on board and after considering it quietly for a moment felt sure enough of himself to answer. "Mostly I have good days, Ianto. But, okay, I guess I can't deny that there are bad days as well; gut churning days of truly not knowing what I want anymore. But … and here's an exclusive for that diary of yours … today, on Christmas day 2008, Jack Harkness has finally realised what it is that he really wants."

Watching as Jack's head rolled to one side, hoping to find him, Ianto felt a breath catch in the back of his throat. "And what's that?"

As it continued to bore into him, he found himself transfixed by Jack's stare. Right at that moment there was a history's worth and more shining out through the blue gaze fixed onto his own.

"More of this, Ianto. I want more of doing just the normal things. Why should my happiness have to come to an end just because I decide my mission is to protect the rest of the human race for a while? You know, just a few hours of being in your company like this has reminded of what it is to be human again; of how wonderful it feels to share moments like this with another person. So thank you for this, Ianto. Thank you for today …. And thank you for thinking to invite me to share your Christmas with you."

They were now in unchartered territory, and with so much sincerity sounding in Jack's voice Ianto found himself hoping that it wasn't just his one glass of wine that was doing the talking.

"You're welcome." He smiled, trying to muster the courage to voice his next thought. "And, if you're interested, doing this doesn't have to be reserved just for Christmas. Okay, admittedly, finding that I enjoy spending so much time in the company of another man is still leaving me feeling a little strange, but I wouldn't complain about sharing the odd Sunday roast or snuggle here and there."

"No?"

"No."

"Well you won't hear any complaints from me either; I think that sounds like a great idea."

"Right, well that's that sorted then." Suddenly feeling terrified for all manner of reasons, Ianto gave one heavy nod and hoped his uncertainty didn't show.

Jack's enthusiasm was already stepping up another level. "Yep, I'd say you got yourself a date, Ianto. Well, several, hopefully."

Ianto's composure finally left him. "Okay, this is all getting just a little …. whew." With Jack looking at him curiously, he gave a small and embarrassed laugh before admitting. "You know, before you arrived I'd convinced myself that you were just gonna eat and run, and I don't just mean because of something rift-related."

"Well that just goes ta show ya!" Jack's beam was blinding. "And speaking of eating…"

"Finally ready for dessert, are we?" With their intense exchange of words apparently over, Ianto let out a silent, yet very relieved sigh.

"Amongst other things." As he waggled his brows, Jack, it seemed, was now in need of another form of light relief.

"Flaming pudding first, Jack; the mind blowing sex comes later on in the evening."

Delighted at the quip, Jack's face lit up. "Hey, you know what, Ianto? You should have eggnog more often; it loosens your tongue in a very pleasing way."

"It's advocaat, Jack, nobody calls it eggnog anymore."

"Well, whatever it is, I'm adding it to the Hub's requisitions list; it's going down under essential items."

As his head fell back, Ianto shook it despairingly. "I'll get the pudding and the matches, shall I?"

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The couch groaned as they both fell back onto it at the same time.

"I'm stuffed." Returning his feet to the pouffe, Jack lifted his arm for Ianto to snuggle himself under again.

"That'll be the three portions, then."

Jack could only nod in agreement. "Probably. You shouldn't have made it so tasty."

"Might have known this would end up being my fault …. Right where were we?" With a smile, Ianto reached out for the remote.

The tv flickered into life and a familiar crackling of logs came through the surround sound. "Hold on ….." Stretching out again, he clicked off the side-light and immediately they were bathed in nothing but a warm, flickering glow.

"Mmmm …. cosy." Jack nuzzled himself closer, his free hand coming over to lightly clasp the one now lying nonchalantly in his lap. And as the young man next to him gave a loud yawn he gave the same hand a gentle squeeze.

"Very cosy …" Ianto finally admitted and gave a long and contented sigh.

Joining in with an equally loud one of his own, Jack found himself smiling as he was asked. "So, have you really had a nice day? Or are you just saying that to make me feel better?"

Angling his head to the side and resting it lightly against Ianto's, Jack watched the flames flicker for just a moment before coming to his final conclusion. "Ianto, I've really and truly had a brilliant Christmas day …. Thank you."

Nestling himself in further, Ianto finally felt that last little bit of tension slip away. "No, thank you, Jack; thank you for agreeing to keep me company."

A thoughtful smile sliding into place, Jack gazed down at the smaller hand sitting in his.

Well whad'ya know? Turns out they'd both needed the company today after all. Well, hopefully over the last few hours he'd managed to give Ianto just as much hope as he'd unwittingly given him; this had actually turned out to be one of the best Christmases ever. Both unexpected, yet secretly hoped for, the day had been all and more that he could ever have dreamed of.

Snuggling down a little further he found himself pleasantly surprised at how well they seemed to mould together in this position.

A wave of regret swept through him. Why the hell hadn't he been brave enough to do something like this before?

He gave the Welshman's hand a couple of squeezes. "Ianto? Thanks."

"For what?" The voice was soft and sleepy.

"For just …. being here, I guess … I mean, this is nice ….. isn't it?"

As the logs crackled, Jack only just managed to make out the soft breath that left the young man next to him. "Ianto?"

The reply came in the form of a gentle snore.

Smiling softly, it suddenly dawned on him that, to be finally certain, that simple and timely response from Ianto was all he'd really needed to hear.

The bonus of stepping out onto the Plass this morning to find that they were going to have a white Christmas after all, had gotten the day off to a brilliant start. But then there'd been this; Ianto's genuinely warm welcome, the easy flowing conversation, the good food, the great company …. the extended invite.

He almost didn't want to admit it, but it truly did seem that he'd finally found a place to stay again.

So maybe it was time to take that chance …

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With the logs still crackling, he laughed quietly as his very own Welshman snored softly again. It suddenly occurred to him that the head sitting comfortably beneath his own, fitted absolutely perfectly, and the hand curling around his? ….. Well, that was made to measure.

Everything felt just …. perfect.

One of the best Christmases ever?

Nah ….

This was without doubt the best Christmas day he'd ever had.

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Wishing everybody out there in Jantoland a very Merry Christmas 2013 … bwb.

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